The components of exhaust systems used with internal combustion engines are exposed to temperatures which range from atmospheric temperatures to operating temperatures of about 800° C. that occasionally climb to about 1,000° C. Exhaust system components that contact one another often produce a noisy “stick-slip” condition as the system heats up and cools down. The stick-slip condition is caused by relative motion between parts due to differences in thermal expansion and contraction rates of parts in contact. In an exhaust system there can be relative movement between baffle plates and internal pipes within mufflers, as well as between various external pipes which connect mufflers to the exhaust of an internal combustion engine, such as air-gap down pipes. In addition, there can be relative movement between intermediate pipes disposed between primary and secondary mufflers and between tail pipes connected to the outlets of muffler systems. The noise generated by stick-slip can be irritating and disconcerting, thus detracting from the driving experience.
A current solution to this problem is to insert wire mesh ring bushings between components, but this is relatively expensive due to the cost of the bushings. Another approach is to weld components to one another, but this tends to generate high stresses in the components. Accordingly, there is a need to address this problem with an inexpensive solution compatible with currently employed configurations of mufflers and other components of exhaust system assemblies.